Have entered the LVRC road race organised by Reading CC at Stoke Row near Henley this Sunday. I beleive the 7 mile course is used quite a bit and wondered if anyone knew it and could give me some tips?

As a C cat (50+) my race is 6 laps. Any advice would be very welcome as although I can done lots of crits at Hillingdon this is the first time I've raced out on the highway.

Actually its hardly any different from Hillingdon (Yes i know i don't do many RR's these days but the principals havn't changed!) - Main issues are avoiding oncoming traffic so i really don't recommend full on attacks in the right hand gutter and of course the state of the roads these days - avoiding potholes is almost as stressful as the race itself. Moving up in the bunch and holding your place is a bit more difficult than on a circuit but only a bit. I rode at Stoke Row a couple of years back but can't remember anything wildly noteworthy in terms of things to watch out for - so just ride it!JD

I don't think I have raced that circuit. As JD says, keep an eye out for what is going on around the race. Particularly traffic and horses.The only other thing to say is that Hillingdon tends to smooth out the speed of the race. You might find you are attacking, sprinting out of corners more in an open road race. Keeping up near the front will minimise the effect but watch out for the slow junctions/corners.